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Italy investigates Apple and Samsung for slowing down phones

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iPhone
This is the first time Samsung has been called into question for slowing down its handsets.
Photo: Apple

Italy is the latest country to throw its hat into the ring when it comes to investigating Apple for its purposeful slowing down of older iPhone devices.

In doing so, it joins countries including BrazilSouth Korea, China and France, which have all questioned Apple about its iPhone-throttling software update. In a new twist, however, Italy is also investigating Apple rival Samsung.

Larger iPhone X Plus will boost weak demand this fall

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iPhone plus model next to iPhone X
New iPhones will require millions of new displays.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A larger iPhone X Plus will likely arrive to boost weaker-than-anticipated demand for Apple’s latest smartphones this fall. One reliable analyst claims the device will boast a 6.5-inch display and will be accompanied by a more-affordable 6.1-inch model.

Apple brings its ‘Everyone Can Code’ course to new countries

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Code
Apple wants to bring its Swift focused curriculum to as many people as possible around the world.
Photo: Apple

Apple today announced that it is expanding its “Everyone Can Code” initiative to 70 colleges and universities in Europe, bringing its syllabus focused on app-making with Swift to more users outside of the U.S.

The expansion covers educational institutes in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland and Portugal.

iPhone slowdown controversy might boost ‘Right to Repair’ bills

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apple-iphone-cracked-security-mac-ios-malware-flaw
Apple's opposed 'Right to Repair' in the past.
Photo: Faris Algosaibi/Flickr CC

Apple’s ongoing PR nightmare concerning the iPhone slowdown case could turn out to be a boon for “Right to Repair” advocates, backing bills that will force companies to supply the necessary parts to repair older devices.

Specifically, it would mean Apple offering customers more options by giving third-party repair shops the legal right to buy official spare parts, and access service manuals. The result could help bring down the cost of repairs for iPhones.

Trump thanks Tim Cook for Apple’s $350 billion bonanza

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
Photo: Bloomberg

Tim Cook finally earned some praise from long-time foe Donald Trump today, thanks to Apple’s plan to contribute $350 billion to the U.S. economy over the next five years.

Trump went so far as to call Tim Cook “a great guy” during a speech at a factory in Pennsylvania today while talking about Apple’s investment into the U.S.

PencilSnap makes sure your Apple Pencil is never far away

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PencilSnap
It's a simple magnetic sleeve, but it'll make your Apple Pencil a lot more useful.
Photo: Twelve South

As much as Apple Pencil accessories seem like useless widgets desired to cash in on gullible buyers, the PencilSnap from Twelve South solves a real problem — how do you keep your Pencil together with your iPad? With a paper notebook, you either clip your pen to the cover (good), to the spine (nasty), or just leave it between the pages and jam the book closed around it (what are you? Some kind of monster?).

With the iPad you can’t do any of those. Instead, you’ll have to buy the PencilSnap to take care of it for you.

There’s more than one way to open Mac archives

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Take control or your RAR, ZIP and other archives on your Mac with Dr. Unarchiver.
Take control or your RAR, ZIP and other archives on your Mac.
Photo: Life of Pix/Pexels CC

This post is presented by Trend Micro, maker of Dr. Unarchiver.

Archives are a great way to compress and bundle all sorts of files. Whether massive applications or complex media projects, to get at the contents of an archive you typically must unarchive the whole thing. Depending on the type of archive, you might need special software. And depending on who sent it, you might not trust the files in the archive. Like a vampire, some malware requires you invite it into your machine.

How to hook up a USB audio device to your Mac

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mackie-blackjack
Mackie's Blackjack works equally well with iOS and Mac.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you want to listen to music on your Mac, you either suffer its built-in speakers, or you plug a speaker into the headphone jack. But what if you want to get sound into you Mac? Or you have some fancy speakers hooked up to a fancy mixer, and the little headphone output doesn’t cut it, quality-wise? Then you should switch to USB. And don’t worry — you won’t have to install drivers, or any of the other crap that makes PC use so painful. In fact, using a USB audio interface is as easy as plugging in a pair of headphones, only better.

Intel confirms Spectre fixes can cause unwanted reboots

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Intel-Kaby-Lake
Intel will task GPUs with antivirus scanning.
Photo: Intel

Intel has confirmed that fixes for the widespread Spectre bug can cause unwanted reboots on many PCs. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the company has also revealed that its latest chips — including the Kaby Lake line launched in 2017 — are also susceptible to the bug.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery RPG puts you into the story

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Harry Potter
Set during the 1980s, the game lets you join the ranks at Hogwarts.
Photo: Jam City

Harry Potter is coming to iOS. Well, kind of.

In fact, a forthcoming game from Los Angeles-based developer Jam City, in partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, will let you create your very own Hogwarts student and then take them through the school: attending classes, learning magic, forming friendships and rivalries, and generally learning how to grow as a wizard.

It sounds intriguing, and we’re hoping it lives up to the enormous potential of its concept. Check out the first trailer for Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery below.

Deck out your Macbook with these awesome add-ons [Deals]

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We've rounded up the best deals on essential accessories for your Macbook.
We've rounded up the best deals on essential accessories for your Macbook.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Buying a Macbook is just the first step. Once you’ve got your shiny new machine, it’s time to outfit it with the peripherals that’ll make it yours. So we’ve gathered some of the best deals on essential Macbook add-ons. That includes a neck-saving laptop stand, powerful drive repair software, a USB connection expansion, and more. Read on for more details:

Apple and Silicon Valley continue to fight Trump on immigration

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
Apple and other tech giants say ending immigration program would be bad for hiring.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Apple’s not giving up on fighting what it considers to be the good fight when it comes to immigration. On Thursday, a coalition of businesses including Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and others urged President Trump not to abandon a program that allows the spouses of high-skilled immigrants to work in the U.S. while they are in the process of seeking permanent residence.

The initiative was introduced by President Barack Obama in 2015, but could be abandoned by the Trump administration as part of its crackdown on immigration.

Apple will start paying its enormous E.U. tax bill in March

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money
Apple was handed its massive tax bill in the middle of 2016.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will pay its 13 billion euros ($15.5 billion) tax bill between March and September this year, Ireland’s Department of Finance Secretary General Derek Moran has told the country’s Public Accounts Committee.

The European Commission ordered the Irish government to recover the money from Apple after ruling that it received illegal state aid in Ireland. While Ireland is still appealing the decision, it must still collect the money, which will then be placed in an escrow account until the dispute is settled.

Apple snaps up Culver City office after HBO backs out

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Apple Culver City
Apple video's new home in Culver City.
Photo: Culver City Planning Dept.

Apple looks set to open a new office in Culver City, California, after HBO backed out of plans to take the lease. The new building, which features 128,000 square feet of space, is projected to open in late 2019 and could become the home of Apple’s original video efforts.

You’ll soon be able to disable Apple’s iPhone throttling feature

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iPhone-8
iOS 11 will likely land on most people's iPhones in March.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

With Apple facing mounting pressure, Tim Cook has revealed that a future iOS 11 update will let users disable the feature that was causing their iPhone to throttle performance.

In an interview with ABC News, Cook said that, “We’re going to give people the visibility of the health of their battery so it’s very, very transparent. This hasn’t been done before.”

How to install the official Apple SEED training app on iPhone

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Apple SEED
Sales Enablement, Education and Development.
Photo: Apple

Apple SEED is an official training app that you can’t download from the App Store. It’s designed to teach Apple Store employees and Authorized Resellers all they need to know about the company’s products and services.

Here’s a trick that lets you try out the SEED app on your own iPhone.

Apple employees get big bonus thanks to Trump

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

President Donald Trump’s new tax law is doing great things for Apple employees’ wallets.

Apple told employees today that it plans to give all of them $2,500 worth of restricted stock, thanks to the revised tax law that goes into effect this year.

How to use the Siri news podcast feature

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siri
Siri can now play news podcasts for you, just like olden-day radio.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Thanks to an iOS upgrade, a simple question — “Hey, Siri, what’s the news today?” — will now play you an NPR podcast. It’s just like turning on the radio in the morning to catch up on events, only you don’t have to use sucky radio. Here’s how to use Siri News.

9 ways to strengthen your Apple products

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Step up your iPhone and Mac security with these tips.
Step up your iPhone and Mac security with these tips.
Photo: Free Photos/Pixabay CC

This post is brought to you by TheBestVPN.com.

Think you’ll never fall victim to a cybercrime? Think again.

Recent data shows individuals have a one in 10 chance of becoming a victim of cybercrime each year. In fact, people are 20 times more likely to experience fraud than robbery.

It’s time to start taking your data security seriously by ensuring your smartphone, computer and online accounts are safe from hackers. Luckily, Apple products are pretty secure on their own. However, it never hurts to add an extra layer of protection. Start with these nine ways to strengthen your Apple products.

How to speed up your iPhone if the Spectre patch slows it down

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ghosts
Ghosts are a bit like spectres.
Photo: Sean MacEntee/Flickr CC

Spectre is the worst kind of security flaw. Not only do the partial fixes not even protect against attacks, but they also slow down your iPhone, or other device. But things aren’t quite as bad as they seem. You can take steps to speed up your iPhone once again, and one of the fixes not only makes the web faster, but also fixes Spectre’s biggest attack vector.